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The time it takes for an ecosystem to recover from a disturbance is a key to environmental management. Conventionally, recovery is defined as a return to the pre‐disturbance state, assuming ecosystem stationarity. However, this view does not account for the impact of external forces like climate change, imposing non‐stationarity and trends. Alternatively, the counterfactual approach views recovery as the state the ecosystem would have achieved if the disturbance had not occurred, accounting for external forces. Here, we present a simple method to estimate the counterfactual recovery time. By implementing our method to the greening of the Arctic region, we showed that counterfactual greening recovery is twice as long as conventional recovery over the region. We argue that the well‐documented greening of the region acts as an external force, leading to such a large difference. We advocate for embracing the counterfactual definition of recovery, as it aligns with realistic decision‐making processes. Plain Language Summary: The time required for an ecosystem to recover from a disturbance is a crucial factor in many areas, such as decision‐making. Traditionally, this recovery time has been considered as the period for a disturbed ecosystem to either bounce back to its pre‐disturbance state or reach a new stable state. However, the assumption of stability may not hold true in light of climate change and other external factors. These forces make ecosystems dynamic, potentially with upward or downward trends, rather than reaching a stable state. To account for these external forces, an alternative definition is presented: the time for an ecosystem to reach its potential state, as if the disturbance had not occurred, termed the "counterfactual recovery." In this study, we propose a simple method based on time series analyses to calculate the counterfactual recovery time. We showcase the difference between the two definitions by implementing our approach to the case of greening in the Arctic and boreal regions post‐disturbance. Our method is generalizable to any ecological system, and we envision its contribution to decision‐making processes, such as conservation efforts. Key Points: The conventional definition to recovery as return to pre‐disturbance state ignores the impact of external forces on the recovery processWe proposed a method to estimate the time to recover using counterfactual approach which considers the impact of external forcesImplementing our approach over the greening of the arctic region showed the large difference between the two approaches [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective irrigation planning is crucial for sustainable agricultural development and ecosystem restoration projects in arid regions. With respect to ambitious greening initiatives, Saudi Arabia is establishing a national strategy toward a more sustainable and eco-friendly future not only for itself but also for the broader Middle East region. Thus, comprehensively understanding the water cycle in the region is essential to identify the most suitable target locations for afforestation and reforestation while considering the potential role of irrigation. Herein, in addition to traditional pedoclimatic factors, we introduce a complementary consideration—“irrigation recycling.” Building on the well-established concept of atmospheric moisture recycling and taking advantage from an atmospheric trajectory dataset, we track the path of evaporated water from current or potential irrigated sites to the location where the evaporated water eventually falls as precipitation. Our analysis offers two key benefits. First, it helps pinpoint the regions in which and the periods during which water recycling is maximum within the country, aiding more precise calculations of the investment return value for irrigation infrastructures. Second, it helps identify the land-use change patterns that contribute to international efforts such as drought mitigation in East Africa as an example. We found that one-third of the actual precipitation in the current Saudi irrigated sites originated from evapotranspiration over land, mainly from Saudi Arabia and surrounding countries. Interestingly, most of the evapotranspiration from these irrigated sites will eventually fall somewhere over land (primarily in Iran). Controlling the seasonality and spatial distribution of the future irrigation expansion will allow controlling the atmospheric moisture recirculation in Saudi Arabia and nearby drought-prone regions such as Eastern Africa. The outcomes of this study will be the subject of future integrated assessments to account for the climatic feedbacks of the land-use change scenarios. At present, they provide crucial insights to support the decision-making process surrounding the Saudi and Middle East Green Initiatives. Further, the presented methodology offers a pragmatic framework that can be applied to similar greening projects for other regions, making it a viable and valuable approach for global sustainability programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing is an invaluable tool for tracking decadal‐scale changes in vegetation greenness in response to climate and land use changes. While the Landsat archive has been widely used to explore these trends and their spatial and temporal complexity, its inconsistent sampling frequency over time and space raises concerns about its ability to provide reliable estimates of annual vegetation indices such as the annual maximum normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), commonly used as a proxy of plant productivity. Here we demonstrate for seasonally snow‐covered ecosystems, that greening trends derived from annual maximum NDVI can be significantly overestimated because the number of available Landsat observations increases over time, and mostly that the magnitude of the overestimation varies along environmental gradients. Typically, areas with a short growing season and few available observations experience the largest bias in greening trend estimation. We show these conditions are met in late snowmelting habitats in the European Alps, which are known to be particularly sensitive to temperature increases and present conservation challenges. In this critical context, almost 50% of the magnitude of estimated greening can be explained by this bias. Our study calls for greater caution when comparing greening trends magnitudes between habitats with different snow conditions and observations. At a minimum we recommend reporting information on the temporal sampling of the observations, including the number of observations per year, when long‐term studies with Landsat observations are undertaken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of recently accelerating global warming, the changes in vegetation trends are vital for the monitoring of the dynamics of both whole ecosystems and individual species. Detecting changes within the time series of specific forest ecosystems or species is very important in the context of assessing their vulnerability to climate change and other negative phenomena. Hence, the aim of this paper was to identify the trend change points and periods of greening and browning in multi-annual time series of the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI) of four main forest-forming tree species in the temperate zone: pine, spruce, oak and beech. The research was conducted over the last two decades (2002–2022), and was based on vegetation indices data derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). To this end, several research approaches, including calculating the linear trends in the moving periods and BEAST algorithm, were adapted. A pattern of browning then greening then constant was detected for coniferous species, mostly pine. In turn, for broadleaved species, namely oak and beech, a pattern of greening then constant was identified, without the initial phase of browning. The main trend change points seem to be ca. 2006 and ca. 2015 for coniferous species and solely around 2015 for deciduous ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the intersection of the "digitalization" and the "climatization" of the agricultural sector grows a promise of the "decarbonization" of agriculture by "start-ups." Based on a qualitative study (40 interviews, 9 days of observation, documentary analysis), this article is a contribution to the political sociology of this promise of ecologization by reconstructing its meaning (what does it signify?) and its implementation (what practices is it referring to?). The study analyzes the bases of a narrative allying the political agendas of agricultural leadership and the executive branch of the French state. The focus on soil CO2 sequestration and the politicization of innovative "start-ups" converge on the promotion of economic solutions to global warming. The authors found the "start-ups" working on this "decarbonization" were quite diverse, but could be sorted into three types: innovative businesses seeking rapid growth, consultancy firms offering expertise without aims of growth, and administrative intermediaries. The latter, the most numerous and the least innovative, are invested in voluntary carbon markets, most commonly the "low-carbon label," a public framework overseen by the Ministry of Ecological Transition. The promise of the decarbonization of agriculture through start-ups thus falls short, as the study documents an optional and partial greening of agriculture that is overseen by the state, implemented by private administrative service providers, and funded by businesses wishing to improve their carbon footprint. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postharvest fibrosis and greening of Toona sinensis buds significantly affect their quality during storage. This study aimed to clarify the effects of low-temperature storage on postharvest red TSB quality harvested in different seasons. Red TSB samples were collected from Guizhou province, China, 21 days after the beginning of spring (Lichun), summer (Lixia), and autumn (Liqiu), and stored at 4 °C in dark conditions. We compared and analyzed the appearance, microstructure, chlorophyll and cellulose content, and expression levels of related genes across different seasons. The results indicated that TSB harvested in spring had a bright, purple-red color, whereas those harvested in summer and autumn were green. All samples lost water and darkened after 1 day of storage. Severe greening occurred in spring-harvested TSB within 3 days, a phenomenon not observed in summer and autumn samples. Microstructural analysis revealed that the cells in the palisade and spongy tissues of spring and autumn TSB settled closely during storage, while summer TSB cells remained loosely aligned. Xylem cells were smallest in spring-harvested TSB and largest in autumn. Prolonged storage led to thickening of the secondary cell walls and pith cell autolysis in the petioles, enlarging the cavity area. Chlorophyll content was higher in leaves than in petioles, while cellulose content was lower in petioles across all seasons. Both chlorophyll and cellulose content increased with storage time. Gene expression analysis showed season-dependent variations and significant increases in the expression of over half of the chlorophyll-related and cellulose-related genes during refrigeration, correlating with the observed changes in chlorophyll and cellulose content. This research provides valuable insights for improving postharvest storage and freshness preservation strategies for red TSB across different seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Railway Construction Technology is the property of Railway Construction Technology Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article examines the legal issues of providing state support to agriculture in the European Union. State support for agriculture is not a frozen, conservative category - its evolution is subject to the main trends in the development of the legal system, the emergence of new threats and the birth of new social needs. Another reform of the European common agricultural policy (CAP) and its agricultural protection component for the period 2021-2027 calls for an urgent need to study the proposed changes in the context of the general evolution of EU legislation on state support for farmers. Understanding the main vectors of such evolution is an important methodological basis for the qualitative development of the concept of reforming domestic agricultural protection legislation. The traced evolution of the agricultural protection legislation of the European Union demonstrates its passing through several successive stages: 1) the stage of emergence and formation (60s-80s of the 20th century); 2) the beginning of a major reorientation of EU agricultural policy (1992-1998); 3) the stage of the emergence of the second pillar of SAP (1999-2002); 4) the stage of the final transition to the format of direct payments (2003-2012); 5) stage of successive greening (2013-2020); 6) modern stage (2021-2027 years). The current stage of development of EU agricultural protection legislation is characterized by such features as: transition from mandatory measures to mandatory results; preserving the methodology of the two pillars of SAP; strengthening of environmental priorities; preservation of social landmarks. An analysis of the retrospective and current state of legislative support for agriculture in the EU reveals three main trends in the development of such legislation: decentralization, greening, and preservation of small farming. The study of modern agro-protection legislation of Ukraine through the prism of our conclusions will allow us to determine the ratio of methodological bases of state support for farmers in the EU and Ukraine. This is an important scientific and practical foundation for the development of a qualitative concept of reforming domestic legislation. That is why the study of these questions will be the subject of our further scientific investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Many agricultural landscapes offer few resources for maintaining natural enemy populations and floral plantings have frequently been adopted to enhance biological pest control in crops. However, restored margins may harbour both pests and natural enemies. The aim was to compare the abundance of pests and natural enemies in three types of margins (unmanaged, sown herbaceous floral strips and shrubby hedgerows) as well as in adjacent melon fields. Besides, yield was compared among melon fields as way of testing the effect of the type of margin on biocontrol. The research was carried out during 2 years in twelve melon fields from four different locations in southern Spain. Arthropods were sampled periodically in margins and melon fields by visual inspections and Berlese extraction. Hedgerow and floral strips hosted higher numbers of both pests and predators than unmanaged margins. Besides, hedgerows had a similar or higher number of natural enemies than floral strips but lower number of pests. In just a few occasions, the type of margin had a significant effect on the abundance of pests and natural enemies in melon fields, but rarely there was consistency between the two growing seasons. No differences were found in yield. We hypothesised that the lack of association in the abundances of pests and natural enemies between margins and melon fields could be attributed to the overriding effects of the landscape and/or the internal population dynamics of arthropods in melon fields. Overall, shrubby hedgerows are more recommended than herbaceous floral strips.

Many agricultural landscapes offer few resources for maintaining natural enemy populations and floral plantings have frequently been adopted to enhance biological pest control in crops. However, restored margins may harbour both pests and natural enemies. The aim was to compare the abundance of pests and natural enemies in three types of margins (unmanaged, sown herbaceous floral strips and shrubby hedgerows) as well as in adjacent melon fields. Besides, yield was compared among melon fields as way of testing the effect of the type of margin on biocontrol. The research was carried out during 2 years in twelve melon fields from four different locations in southern Spain. Arthropods were sampled periodically in margins and melon fields by visual inspections and Berlese extraction. Hedgerow and floral strips hosted higher numbers of both pests and predators than unmanaged margins. Besides, hedgerows had a similar or higher number of natural enemies than floral strips but lower number of pests. In just a few occasions, the type of margin had a significant effect on the abundance of pests and natural enemies in melon fields, but rarely there was consistency between the two growing seasons. No differences were found in yield. We hypothesised that the lack of association in the abundances of pests and natural enemies between margins and melon fields could be attributed to the overriding effects of the landscape and/or the internal population dynamics of arthropods in melon fields. Overall, shrubby hedgerows are more recommended than herbaceous floral strips. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strengthening of such factors as urbanisation, aggravation of the ecological situation, the need to create safe living conditions, increase in building areas, high differentiation in the cost of housing and increase in the scale of social construction, etc. actualises the need to search for innovative forms of corporate investment strategies in housing construction. The purpose of article is to analyse modern trends in the development of investment processes in housing construction. The use of methods of generalisation and system analysis allowed to define the main directions of development of socially responsible investment in the sphere of housing construction; with the help of the method of system-structural analysis the strategy of using BIM-technologies was investigated in detail: essence, stages of implementation, peculiarities of use in different countries. The development of the housing construction industry is under the increasing influence of such external factors as safety, ecology, urbanisation and digitalisation. Corporate investment strategies in the residential construction industry are diversifying: Fix-and-Flip strategy, crowdfunding, investment in property investment funds. New flexible financial mechanisms are emerging, expanding the possibilities of attracting new resources. Modern digital tools make it possible to synthesise the imperatives of greening and smartisation on the basis of BIM (Building Information Modeling) technologies. The advantages of using BIM-technologies are: optimisation of the management and control process, reduction of construction and operation costs, increased coordination of all project participants, reduction of errors and mistakes in project documentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article identifies potential synergies between the domains of crime prevention and climate change adaptation within the built environment. It delves into three specific risks associated with climate change—heat, wildfires, and flooding and tidal surges—and investigates how adapting the built environment to these challenges may inadvertently affect crime vulnerability or prevention. It examines how human-controlled nature-based solutions, such as trees and community gardens, can reduce both heat-related problems and crime risks. The article discusses passive cooling through architectural design in hot climates and explores strategies for reducing wildfire risks through landscaping and building design. Additionally, it considers the implications of sea walls and floating structures for crime prevention in the face of tidal surges and flooding. The article concludes by underscoring the need for further research in this intersection of climate change adaptation and crime prevention and the role of crime scientists in shaping safer urban environments amid the challenges of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vegetation plays a crucial role in providing organic matter and regulating energy exchange on the Earth's surface. This study investigates the changes in vegetation cover, temperature, and precipitation in northeastern Iran during 2001–2020. MODIS-NDVI time series data and climatic data from 11 synoptic stations were utilized. The nonparametric Mann–Kendall method was employed to detect trends in vegetation cover and climatic variables. Additionally, the correlation between climatic parameters and vegetation was examined. Trend analysis revealed significant increases/decreases in vegetation cover in 32%/26% of the region, respectively. The increasing trend in vegetation cover was predominantly observed in highlands, suggesting that a warmer climate has enhanced the living conditions for plants in these regions. The vegetation trend map indicates an expansion of vegetation cover in the northern and central parts of Iran during the past 20 years, whereas the southern and eastern portions experienced declines. The relationship between vegetation and elevation revealed that vegetation increased above 1,850 m and decreased below 850 m. Trend analysis showed no significant trend in precipitation data since the beginning of the twenty-first century, but an increasing trend in temperature was observed in 82% of the region’s area, excluding the western strip. Correlation coefficients between temperature, precipitation, and vegetation indicated that declining temperatures are the limiting factors for vegetation in the highlands, while in lowland areas, the decrease in precipitation significantly diminishes vegetation growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The time it takes for an ecosystem to recover from a disturbance is a key to environmental management. Conventionally, recovery is defined as a return to the pre‐disturbance state, assuming ecosystem stationarity. However, this view does not account for the impact of external forces like climate change, imposing non‐stationarity and trends. Alternatively, the counterfactual approach views recovery as the state the ecosystem would have achieved if the disturbance had not occurred, accounting for external forces. Here, we present a simple method to estimate the counterfactual recovery time. By implementing our method to the greening of the Arctic region, we showed that counterfactual greening recovery is twice as long as conventional recovery over the region. We argue that the well‐documented greening of the region acts as an external force, leading to such a large difference. We advocate for embracing the counterfactual definition of recovery, as it aligns with realistic decision‐making processes.

Vegetation greening not only offers climate benefits but also enhances residents' well-being in urban areas. China and India lead the world in terms of global greening. However, systematic studies summarizing the green development levels of both countries are still lacking. Here, we explore the regional significant greening levels and spatial distribution characteristics of China and India across multiple spatial scales using the significant greening level as an indicator. Additionally, we analyze the diverse relationships between significant greening in China and India and factors such as land use, economy, and population. The results indicate that areas with significant greening in China are primarily located in some mountainous regions in the central and eastern parts, while in India, areas with significant greening are mainly distributed in plain and plateau regions. Within significantly greening areas, 55.57% in China are forests, and 95.67% in India are croplands. The greening level in built-up areas in China is mostly positively correlated with economic factors, but in economically disadvantaged areas, the greening level is not necessarily the lowest. In Indian built-up areas, the greening level is negatively correlated with the economy. Regarding the relationship with urbanization, the greening level in the surrounding areas of built-up areas in both China and India generally decreases with the increasing degree of urbanization's influence, but the damage caused by urban development to the greening level in India is much higher than in China. 83% of cities in China have medium-range per capita greening levels, while 60% of cities in India have per capita greening levels in the lower range. A systematic analysis and summary of China and India's greening development can provide strategic references for other developing countries to enhance greening initiatives and improve their level of sustainable development.

The article summarizes scientific approaches to the development of the theory of changes in the greening of business. The scientific and methodological approaches to understanding the basics of the theory of change have been developed. The features of the application of the theory of change in the greening of business are presented. The specifics of the development of the theory of changes in the greening of business on the example of Ukraine are revealed. It is determined that for the Ukrainian realities, the greening of business is implemented mainly in the formal plane in the context of compliance with the norms and standards of environmental development, ensuring environmental taxation, control of environmental pollution standards, which slows down the development of the component of the Ukrainian environmental business and hinders the innovative introduction of elements of the ecological paradigm in our country. The theory of change is a rigorous but necessary process by which groups and stakeholders in planning activities formulate their long-term goals and define the conditions that they believe should precede the achievement of these goals. These conditions are modeled as desired outcomes, organized graphically in a causal structure. Change theory describes the types of interventions (a single program or a coordinated initiative) that lead to the outcomes depicted in the outcome map. Each intervention is linked to an outcome in a causal system, revealing the often complex web of actions required to bring about change. Several factors have been found to make it difficult for multinational companies to take action against climate change, such as a lack of certainty about climate policy, a lack of green technologies, and a lack of return on investment. The use of green practices also remains limited in the International Health Standards (IHR) in both developed and developing countries, due to limited access to finance and skills, lack of information and knowledge about innovation, and, in some cases, poor enforcement of rules. It is determined that for a better and more effective application of the norms and provisions of the theory of changes in the greening of business, it is relevant to introduce professional courses for managers and environmental managers of companies, which will direct the professional training of management staff to the implementation of effective environmental changes in business. It is also relevant to introduce the State-based programs to stimulate the development of greening business in terms of indirect (tax incentives for businesses that implement environmental innovations) and direct incentives for the implementation of environmental changes (preferential lending for greening business).

Introduction. Environmental certification in accordance with ISO 14001 and EMAS makes it possible to understand and assess the impact of economic activities on ecosystems, as well as to set environmental goals and objectives for improving the activities of enterprises and organizations. The effects of the EMS (environmental management and audit scheme) depend on how companies decide to use them after certification. In this regard, the authors investigate the organizational climate issues associated with the use of ISO 14000 and EMAS series standards to improve the environmental efficiency of companies.Materials and methods. The methodology is presented in the form of an environmental safety model related to the enterprises and organizations, including environmental audit, environmental standardization and environmental assessment of compliance with various environmental requirements at different levels of organization of enterprises’ activities. The object of research is the international environmental standards of the ISO 14000 and EMAS series. The subject of the study is the environmental safety of negative factors in the activities of enterprises and organizations. The concept of the necessity of greening personnel training and a positively environmentally oriented organizational climate in enterprises and organizations is proposed.Results. The implementation of EMS does not always lead to an improvement in the environmental performance of companies. Some companies focus on formal criteria without taking into account real environmental problems. In addition, environmental indicators can take the form of coefficients and can be improved with unchanged or even worsened environmental impact. The organizational climate is important for the realization of EMS goals, especially the attitude of employees to the environment and environmental values. Despite limitations, EMS, environmental audit and ISO 14000 principles can help companies reduce their negative impact on the environment and increase their competitiveness, as well as make more informed choices when planning their activities.Conclusions. The importance of creating an organizational climate for the successful greening of negative factors in the activities of enterprises and organizations is emphasized. There is also a need for a more accurate assessment of the effectiveness of environmental measures when formulating environmental standards and assessing compliance with their implementation.

Climate change has resulted in a widespread increase in primary productivity in northern regions. This “greening” can alter terrestrial ecosystems dynamics and trigger positive climate feedbacks but often exhibits spatial heterogeneity. Few studies have focused on the differential responses of plant functional groups to warming as a potential driver of heterogeneity in greening rates. Our objective was to determine whether climate–growth relationships are species-specific, and whether they can explain the heterogeneity of the subarctic greening rates. We compared climate–growth relationships and associations to normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) of the dominant tree (Picea mariana) and shrub (Betula glandulosa) species at two locations in the forest–tundra ecotone in Nunavik (Québec, Canada). Correlation coefficients of the climate–growth relationship varied between species and locations, being higher for P. mariana and at the northernmost location. The lower association between NDVI and P. mariana radial growth at the northernmost location appeared to be compensated by a stronger association between NDVI and B. glandulosa radial growth. Our results show that response to climate varies spatially and between species, both of which could potentially be used to explain the heterogeneity of subarctic greening rates. This improved understanding of the species-specific response to climate change will help predict forthcoming changes in primary productivity and their potential positive feedback on climate change.

In the context of global warming, the frequent occurrence of drought has become one of the main reasons affecting the loss of gross primary productivity (GPP) of terrestrial ecosystems. Under the influence of human activities, the vegetation greening trend of the Loess Plateau increased significantly. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the response of GPP to drought in the Loess Plateau under the greening trend. Here, we comprehensively assessed the ability of vegetation indices (VIs) and solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) to capture GPP changes at different seasonal scales and during drought. Specifically, we utilized three vegetation indices: normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), near-infrared reflectance of vegetation (NIRV), and kernel NDVI index (kNDVI), and determined the drought period of the Loess Plateau in 2001 based on the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) and the standardized soil moisture index (SSMI). Moreover, the anomalies of VIs and SIF during the drought period and the relationship with GPP anomalies were compared. The results showed that both SIF and VIs were able to capture changes during the drought period as well as in normal years. Overall, SIF captured drought changes better due to water and heat stress as well as GPP changes compared to VIs. Across different time scales, SIF showed the strongest relationship with GPP (meanR2 = 0.85), followed by NIRV (meanR2 = 0.84), NDVI (meanR2 = 0.76), and kNDVI (meanR2 = 0.74), suggesting that SIF is more sensitive to physiological changes in vegetation. Notably, kNDVI performed best in sparse vegetation (meanR2 = 0.85). In capture during drought, NIRV and kNDVI performed better in less productive land classes; SIF showed superior capture as land use class productivity increased. In addition, GPP anomalies correlated better with kNDVI anomalies (meanR2 = 0.50) than with other index anomalies. In the future, efforts to integrate the respective strengths of SIF, NIRV, and kNDVI will improve our understanding of GPP changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earth's vegetation has been increasing over the past decades, altering water and energy cycles by changing evapotranspiration (ET). Greening, caused by climatic and anthropogenic factors, has high rates in High Mountain Asia (HMA). Here we focus on two HMA basins (the Yangtze and the Ganges‐Brahmaputra) to contrast the impacts of climate‐ and human‐induced greening on ET. Though the rate of greening is similar in both basins, anthropogenic influences lead to dissimilar responses in ET. In the Yangtze, climate‐induced greening increases ET, with the increase in moisture being high enough to meet the ET demand. In the Ganges‐Brahmaputra, irrigation‐induced greening does not alter annual ET, only pre‐monsoon ET increases. The dry season declines in water storage due to pumping decrease ET, while laboriously meeting the demand. This study provides a representative example of the contrasting influences of climate induced and anthropogenic driven processes on the seasonality of ET. Plain Language Summary: The significant increases in vegetation occurring on Earth are susceptible to altering the climate by affecting evapotranspiration. However, the responses in evapotranspiration to the changes in vegetation depend on the drivers of greening. Here we use High Mountain Asia as a testbed to contrast the impacts of greening on evapotranspiration. Irrigation‐induced greening leads to an increase in transpiration and evapotranspiration in the pre‐monsoon. However, because irrigation decreases water storage it decreases evapotranspiration in the post‐monsoon. Climate‐induced greening, on the contrary, increases both evapotranspiration and water storage. Key Points: Climate and human induced greening have different effects on evapotranspiration and therefore the land‐atmosphere interactionsThough irrigation‐induced greening rises pre‐monsoon evapotranspiration, the latter decreases in post‐monsoon due to groundwater depletionClimate‐induced greening increases evapotranspiration because the energy demand is easily met [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digitalization makes its way into the agri-food sector; thus, new technologies provide conditions for sustainable agricultural production, contributing to "greening" of the agricultural sector. In this paper, we highlight EU as an actor that is able to form networks enhancing cooperation between the main economic and productive actors that seem to be critical for agricultural transition to digitalization. On the other hand, this proves to be a particular tool to achieve the goal of "greening" of the agri-food chain. Emphasis is laid on the extent to which this process is integrated in the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). For the purposes of the article we rely on relational and network-based approaches, providing a holistic framework on the role the EU plays to conceptualize change for sustainable agriculture and agri-food industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Agathon: International Journal of Architecture, Art & Design is the property of DEMETRA CE.RI.MED and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

While greening vacant houses is encouraged as a sustainable strategy, there is a paucity of quantitative research on its effects. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the flood risk and CO2 mitigation effects of greening neglected vacant houses and barren sites in densely built old downtown areas. To achieve this goal, an investigation was conducted of the actual conditions of vacant houses and barren sites in Ami-dong and Chojang-dong in Busan Metropolitan City. Subsequently, four scenarios for greening vacant houses and barren sites were developed, and rainfall runoff simulations were performed using the K-LIDM model. Furthermore, the annual CO2 fixation for greening with trees was calculated using established research formulas. This study found that 73% of vacant houses in the study area remain unoccupied for an extended period, and when demolished, 56% become concrete-paved barren sites. The runoff simulations indicated that greening with trees led to a 1.71% decrease in annual runoff volume in the long-term model, with peak runoff volume reductions of 3.06% and 2.38% during 2-year and 30-year rainfall events in the short-term model, respectively. Planting trees could accommodate 3058 trees, fixing 62,124 kg of CO2 annually. This study demonstrates the climate change response effects of greening vacant houses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a design experiment conducted within the research PNRR VITALITY based on the issues of sustainability and the quality of living spaces. Considering the innovation opportunities expressed by the energy transition, also achieved through nature-based regenerative solutions, aimed at reducing consumption and CO2 emissions, the methodology leads to the conceptualisation of the multiscalar spatial device Green Room: a volumetric decrement action associated with vegetative infiltration applied to significant parts of buildings and open spaces in three sample areas of the Adriatic-Mediterranean region. Starting from morphological, typological, and climatic data and managing computational simulation processes, the experiment aims to update design tools at the architectural and urban scale, establishing a relationship between indoor and outdoor spaces to achieve benefits for the environment and people’s well-being. Article info Received: 18/03/2024; Revised: 20/04/2024; Accepted: 27/04/2024

State of the problem. During the occupation by Armenia of the Karabakh economic district of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the military degradation of agricultural lands and their use in agriculture and animal husbandry without observing agroecological rules led to the deterioration of soil fertility and the reduction of the optimality of agrarian landscapes. Object learning. The article presents modern ideas for re-doing the agroecological assessment of the lands and solving the actual agroecological problems of their use in agriculture for greening the development of the agricultural area in the Karabakh economic region. In the economic region, the main approach is given to methodological issues of agro-ecological assessment of soil quality, greening of efficient use of agricultural land, agro-ecological analysis of anthropogenic dynamics of soils, regional integration of assessment of agro-ecological quality of soils. In the design of agroecosystems in the Karabakh economic region, the agroecological approach of the differentiation of the area according to the soil-climate factors, the evaluation of the soil taking into account the geomorphological and climatic factors is given. At the same time, the importance of cadastral assessment and accounting of the modern ecological condition of the region's land resources, as well as the issues of their effective use and protection are explained. In the article, in order to ensure the development of the agrarian sector in the region, the importance of the complex agro-ecological re-evaluation of land resources, ways to eliminate the main indicators of land degradation and ecological requirements for the cultivation of plants, determination of territorial units characterized by variability of natural and climatic conditions, agro-production grouping of elementary areas of agro-landscapes and according to the agro-ecological assessment of the area, the ways of organizing the efficient use of land were investigated. Methodology. Generalization, historical, statistical, systematic analysis, and comparison methods were used to prepare the article. Research results. Environmental and economic stability may become more challenging in the future due to increasing anthropogenic pressure on agroecosystems in the economic region and poor infrastructure. Due to intensive land use, frequent erosion, river floods, and environmental pollution in the region can lead to a decline in the quality of agricultural land. Also, anthropogenic activities in the region can have a negative impact on the state and development of agroecosystems and the sustainable development of agriculture in the region, to optimize which it is considered necessary to improve and update the methods and technologies used in agriculture. The scientific novelty of the research. It is necessary to apply agroecological concepts and principles in the redesign, development, and management of sustainable agricultural systems in the economic region. The development of agroecosystems in the region should be ensured by alternative agricultural methodologies and approaches that combine the socio-economic and historical context of agriculture. The production of organic agricultural products, which do not harm human health and the natural environment, should be carried out, and the ecological condition of the soil should also be monitored regularly.

In light of recently accelerating global warming, the changes in vegetation trends are vital for the monitoring of the dynamics of both whole ecosystems and individual species. Detecting changes within the time series of specific forest ecosystems or species is very important in the context of assessing their vulnerability to climate change and other negative phenomena. Hence, the aim of this paper was to identify the trend change points and periods of greening and browning in multi-annual time series of the normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI) of four main forest-forming tree species in the temperate zone: pine, spruce, oak and beech. The research was conducted over the last two decades (2002–2022), and was based on vegetation indices data derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). To this end, several research approaches, including calculating the linear trends in the moving periods and BEAST algorithm, were adapted. A pattern of browning then greening then constant was detected for coniferous species, mostly pine. In turn, for broadleaved species, namely oak and beech, a pattern of greening then constant was identified, without the initial phase of browning. The main trend change points seem to be ca. 2006 and ca. 2015 for coniferous species and solely around 2015 for deciduous ones.

Postharvest fibrosis and greening of Toona sinensis buds significantly affect their quality during storage. This study aimed to clarify the effects of low-temperature storage on postharvest red TSB quality harvested in different seasons. Red TSB samples were collected from Guizhou province, China, 21 days after the beginning of spring (Lichun), summer (Lixia), and autumn (Liqiu), and stored at 4 °C in dark conditions. We compared and analyzed the appearance, microstructure, chlorophyll and cellulose content, and expression levels of related genes across different seasons. The results indicated that TSB harvested in spring had a bright, purple-red color, whereas those harvested in summer and autumn were green. All samples lost water and darkened after 1 day of storage. Severe greening occurred in spring-harvested TSB within 3 days, a phenomenon not observed in summer and autumn samples. Microstructural analysis revealed that the cells in the palisade and spongy tissues of spring and autumn TSB settled closely during storage, while summer TSB cells remained loosely aligned. Xylem cells were smallest in spring-harvested TSB and largest in autumn. Prolonged storage led to thickening of the secondary cell walls and pith cell autolysis in the petioles, enlarging the cavity area. Chlorophyll content was higher in leaves than in petioles, while cellulose content was lower in petioles across all seasons. Both chlorophyll and cellulose content increased with storage time. Gene expression analysis showed season-dependent variations and significant increases in the expression of over half of the chlorophyll-related and cellulose-related genes during refrigeration, correlating with the observed changes in chlorophyll and cellulose content. This research provides valuable insights for improving postharvest storage and freshness preservation strategies for red TSB across different seasons.

The article contributes to the literature on industrial path development through its focus on asset modification for green path development in the Norwegian outdoor textile industry. The authors drew on the concepts of green path development and asset modification to develop a theoretical framework that describes green industrial restructuring as a process by which firms build on various firm-level and system-level assets that are altered through different asset modification modes, which in turn leads to different green path development outcomes. The framework was applied in a study of the greening of the Norwegian outdoor textile industry. A case study was based on data from interviews with firm leaders and industry experts. The findings show that all modes of asset modification are at play in the ongoing greening process. However, asset upgrading and asset creation play a central role. Furthermore, firm-level assets in combination with system-level assets at national and supranational scales are particularly important inputs to the greening of the industry. The authors conclude that in contrast to findings from previous research on industrial path development, regional-level assets play a minor role, which can be explained by the lack of geographical clustering and local embeddedness of the industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(1) Background: Human-generated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are the largest contributor to climate change worldwide. Climate change negatively impacts human and planetary health, threatening the existence of life on earth. The healthcare industry is responsible for approximately 8.5% of carbon emissions in the United States. Measuring baseline GHG emissions is the first step in emissions reduction. However, very few models of measurement exist for health care organizations. This project aimed to develop and implement a program to measure and track GHG emissions at a midwestern academic medical center (MAMC) and to educate staff on how to manage the process. (2) Methods: A Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) cycle and Quality Improvement methodology were used to develop, implement, and assess a standardized GHG emission inventory process to measure Scope 1 and Scope 2 baseline emissions and provide virtual training and education to the accountable staff. A pre- and post-survey design was used to measure the knowledge and readiness of the staff after the implementation of the GHG inventory training. (3) Results: The GHG inventory process was validated through an external verification process, and the measurement of Scope 1 and Scope 2 baseline GHG emissions was completed and verified for accuracy through a data comparison review. The pre-post-training survey showed an increase in the knowledge and readiness of staff to maintain a GHG inventory. (4) Conclusions: This work shows the feasibility of obtaining baseline GHG emissions data at large medical centers. It represents the initial phase of the overarching goal to develop site-wide and system-wide carbon reduction strategies and a climate action plan within this health system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Arctic is warming and significant changes to the landscape, including increased vegetative cover ("greening"), are expected in the near future. These landscape changes may alter nitrogen (N) availability in terrestrial, stream, and coastal ecosystems, where production is often N limited, but the exact changes in nutrient cycling are uncertain. Here, we analyzed the relationship between vegetation greenness (i.e., NDVI) and dissolved inorganic (DIN) and organic (DON) concentrations in streams draining 14 headwater catchments (mean 3.6 km2, range 0.4–11 km2) across three samplings in the Zackenberg area, Northeast Greenland. We found large variation in DIN and DON concentrations across the sampled streams. We further show that this variation is correlated to water temperature and catchment NDVI, such that increased vegetation greenness and temperature correlated with lower DIN, and increased greenness also correlated with higher DON concentrations in streams. The results suggest that increased terrestrial vegetation due to rising air temperature could substantially alter dissolved N concentrations and form in streams, with potentially cascading impacts on coastal areas. Plain Language Summary: This study links terrestrial vegetation cover to stream water chemistry in High Arctic headwater catchments. We found significant spatial and seasonal variation in dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) availability in streams. Nitrate (NO3− ${{\text{NO}}_{3}}^{-}$) concentration in stream water decreases and DON increases with increasing spectral median normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in the stream catchment (i.e., proxy for terrestrial vegetation). This shift in the form of available nitrogen (N) has significant implications as terrestrial vegetation is changing quickly in High Arctic areas, which may then alter the amount and the dominant form of N exported from catchments to coastal areas. Key Points: High terrestrial vegetation greenness (NDVI) correlates negatively with dissolved inorganic nitrogen concentrations in High Arctic catchmentsDissolved inorganic nitrogen decreases and organic nitrogen increases with increased terrestrial vegetation greennessFuture climate changes in High Arctic areas may alter the amount and form of nitrogen exported from land to sea [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence of sustainable development gives greenery an important role in urban planning, namely, by recognizing its environmental potential. However, the rapid urbanization that most cities have experienced in the absence of a sustainable urban policy has led to the establishment of urban realms dominated by manmade constructions. This research aims to evaluate the greening's effect on the urban climate within the semi-arid city of Djelfa (Algeria) during summertime by assigning the most appropriate greenery strategy to ensure optimal thermal conditions. Using a numerical model built with the ENVI-met tool and validated through measurements in situ, four different scenarios are simulated, starting with the existing area and then changing the greenery strategies. The outputs include meteorological parameters and thermal comfort indices (PET and UTCI). The results show that the green area generates a cool island within the urban fabric, with the peak daytime air temperature being reduced by about 4.75 °C. Vegetation densification in the urban space has a higher cooling performance than greening buildings during the daytime. In the evening, the canopy effect of trees is lower and the wind velocity is reduced, which is the main driver in cooling the city at nighttime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Main conclusion: Greening was partially (in 300 mM NaCl, CaCl2, 600 mM KNO3 or KCl) or fully inhibited (in 600 mM NaCl, NaNO3 or NaCl:KCl) by the ionic and not the osmotic component of salinity. Although high soil salinity is an increasing global problem, not much is known about how direct exposure to salinity affects etiolated leaves of seedlings germinating in the soil and then reaching the surface. We investigated the effect of various salt treatments on the greening process of leaves in 8- to 11-day-old etiolated wheat (Triticum aestivum L. Mv. Béres) seedlings. Etiolated leaf segments pre-treated on different salt (600 mM NaCl:KCl 1:1, 600 mM NaCl, 600 mM KCl, 600 mM NaNO3, 600 mM KNO3, 300 mM KCl, 300 mM NaCl or 300 mM CaCl2) or isosmotic polyethylene glycol 6000 (PEG) solutions for 1.5 h in the dark and then greened for 16 h on the same solutions were studied. Leaf segments greened on PEG (osmotic stress) or on 300 mM KCl had similar chloroplasts compared to control samples greened on Hoagland solution. Slightly slower development of chloroplast structure and function (photosynthetic activity) was observed in segments greened on 300 mM NaCl or CaCl2, 600 mM KNO3 or KCl. However, etioplast-to-chloroplast transformation and chlorophyll accumulation were fully inhibited and peculiar prothylakoid swelling occurred in segments greened on 600 mM NaCl, NaNO3 or NaCl:KCl (1:1) solutions. The data indicate that not the high osmolarity of the used salt solution, but its ions, especially Na+, had the strongest negative impact on these processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents an assessment of the state of green spaces in Aksu city, located in Pavlodar region in the north-east of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Aksu city is one of the industrially developed cities of northeastern Kazakhstan. Its territory is characterized by an increasingly complex ecological situation, and, accordingly, a deterioration in the condition of green spaces. Every year, the problems of maintaining the structure and quality of urban plantings become the object of increasingly close attention of specialists, the city administration, the region and the general public. the inventory of green spaces in the city of Aksu is due to the need to provide conditions for creating a sustainable and effective system of landscaping in the city.The analysis of the results is based on reliable data obtained as a result of a tree inventory conducted in 2022. The current state of tree and shrub plantations of the city was analysed, their species and age composition was established, with the determination of the number, category, type and vital state of plantations, the forecast in the short-term and long-term perspective of changes was made. The degree of greening to the demographic capacity of Aksu city was assessed. A high level of oxygen productivity of the territory was noted. The indicator of landscaping was 13.5 km2 of public green spaces per one resident of Aksu city. The city of Aksu has a good indicator for the area of greenery, but in both the short and long term, it is necessary to promptly plant new ones instead of aging plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing frequency and cost of zoonotic disease emergence due to global change have led to calls for the primary surveillance of wildlife. This should be facilitated by the ready availability of remotely sensed environmental data, given the importance of the environment in determining infectious disease dynamics. However, there has been little evaluation of the temporal predictiveness of remotely sensed environmental data for infection reservoirs in vertebrate hosts due to a deficit of corresponding high‐quality long‐term infection datasets. Here we employ two unique decade‐spanning datasets for assemblages of infectious agents, including zoonotic agents, in rodents in stable habitats. Such stable habitats are important, as they provide the baseline sets of pathogens for the interactions within degrading habitats that have been identified as hotspots for zoonotic emergence. We focus on the enhanced vegetation index (EVI), a measure of vegetation greening that equates to primary productivity, reasoning that this would modulate infectious agent populations via trophic cascades determining host population density or immunocompetence. We found that EVI, in analyses with data standardised by site, inversely predicted more than one‐third of the variation in an index of infectious agent total abundance. Moreover, in bipartite host occupancy networks, weighted network statistics (connectance and modularity) were linked to total abundance and were also predicted by EVI. Infectious agent abundance and, perhaps, community structure are likely to influence infection risk and, in turn, the probability of transboundary emergence. Thus, the present results, which were consistent in disparate forest and desert systems, provide proof‐of‐principle that within‐site fluctuations in satellite‐derived greenness indices can furnish useful forecasting that could focus primary surveillance. In relation to the well‐documented global greening trend of recent decades, the present results predict declining infection burden in wild vertebrates in stable habitats; but if greening trends were to be reversed, this might magnify the already upwards trend in zoonotic emergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract Earth's vegetation has been increasing over the past decades, altering water and energy cycles by changing evapotranspiration (ET). Greening, caused by climatic and anthropogenic factors, has high rates in High Mountain Asia (HMA). Here we focus on two HMA basins (the Yangtze and the Ganges‐Brahmaputra) to contrast the impacts of climate‐ and human‐induced greening on ET. Though the rate of greening is similar in both basins, anthropogenic influences lead to dissimilar responses in ET. In the Yangtze, climate‐induced greening increases ET, with the increase in moisture being high enough to meet the ET demand. In the Ganges‐Brahmaputra, irrigation‐induced greening does not alter annual ET, only pre‐monsoon ET increases. The dry season declines in water storage due to pumping decrease ET, while laboriously meeting the demand. This study provides a representative example of the contrasting influences of climate induced and anthropogenic driven processes on the seasonality of ET.

Wetting and drying climate sequences and anthropogenic vegetation changes can have profound effects on the hydrological cycle and sustainability of terrestrial ecosystems. China contains many different climates, from humid to extremely arid and it contributes to the global mitigation strategies of climate change. China is also an important contributor to global greening and carbon sequestration. In view of this, we estimated the spatial and temporal variation of leaf area index (LAI), dryness/wetness index (DWI), and soil moisture (SM) in arid (A), semi-arid (SA), semi-humid (SH), and humid (H) climate zones during 1981–2018 in China and analyzed the patterns of DWI and LAI effects on SM under different vegetation greenness. The results showed a significantly increasing trend of LAI in all climatic zones, and the contribution was from highest to lowest: SH (8.17 × 10-3 m2 m−2 year−1), SA (7 × 10-3 m2 m−2 year−1), H (4.71 × 10-3 m2 m−2 year−1), and A (3.98 × 10-3 m2 m−2 year−1). The SA and A zones are becoming wetter, while the soil of SH and H zones are drying. The dry/wet climate variation plays a decisive role in soil moisture, while the role of vegetation is limited. Additionally, the LAI3 (mean LAI from 2016 to 2018) thresholds were 0.25–0.41 and 0.84–0.86 for A and SA as a whole, respectively, as well as 0.47–0.54 and 0.93–1.18 for grassland, respectively. When vegetation exceeded this threshold, the effect of vegetation on soil moisture showed a shift from increasing to decreasing change. Overall, the results of the study provide improved understanding of the atmosphere-soil-vegetation interactions under climate change, as well as effects of vegetation restoration and water conservation efforts.